Long Island Criminal Lawyers Hire the best. Hire someone who cares.

BEST LONG ISLAND CRIMINAL LAWYERS

Over 50 Years of Criminal Defense Experience

If you're accused of a crime, then you need a criminal defense attorney whose available 24/7. You need a Long Island criminal attorney who will treat you like a member of his family - and will do everything possible to help you. We treat you like family. We charge reasonable fees. We offer flexible payment plans. In addition, we're highly rated by organizations like AVVO, Super Lawyers, and many others.

As a full service New York law firm - we have locations throughout NYC and Long Island. In addition, we are available 24/7 to help you get the legal help and justice you want. Regardless of how tough your case is, we can help you. We have criminal attorneys in Long Island available 24/7 to help you. Our firm has been interviewed by major organizations like FOX, NYPOST, NBC, NYTIMES, and many others.

Lidia Sykisz

Lance SpodekPartner

Criminal Attorneys Available 24/7 To Help You

The Spodek Law Group is a premier, and top rated, Long Island criminal defense law firm. We understand how much harm a criminal accusation and conviction can have on your future. We take on fewer clients than other firms because we focus on giving you results and service, instead of profits. We have over 50 years of combined experience amongst our members, and have experience handling virtually every type of case. Over 99% of cases we’ve handled have ended in a positive outcome for our clients.

We handle cases that other Long Island criminal attorneys turn down. We predict the opposing prosecutors games and know how to combat them. Everything we do revolves around getting results for our clients, and helping them avoid a criminal conviction. We offer a flexible payment plan, and work with you financially in order to avoid financial hardships. We believe money should never be an issue when trying to get legal help.

Spodek Law Group’s team of criminal attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience helping clients all over New York get justice and legal help. We have locations throughout NYC and Long Island, including Nassau and Suffolk County. Moreover, we have partner attorneys all over the country – who help us service clients. Many attorneys refer us to their clients because they trust us to treat their clients like family. We are trusted by companies such as Avvo, FindLaw, Yelp, Zooomr, and other leading brands who refer clients to us.

Our team of criminal defense lawyers treats each client like family. We don’t believe in a cookie cutter approach. We work with every single client to give them the results, service, and legal help, they deserve. Our only objective is ensuring our clients avoid any, and all, criminal prosecution. We consistently help get charges either dismissed, or reduced, so you aren’t impacted by incorrect accusations. We offer a risk free consultation over the phone, or in person, at one of our many locations. Regardless of how complex your case is, we can help you.

Why Spodek Law Group

Top Rated Criminal Lawyers

No-Nonsense Help

Flexible Payment Plans

24/7 customer Service

50 Years Experience

99% Success Rate

Why Clients Choose Our Long Island Criminal Attorneys

99% Success Rate

Spodek Law Group, is a premier, and well known, Long Island criminal defense law firm. We have a 99% success rate when it comes to the cases we’ve handled. 99% of the cases we’ve handled have ended in a positive outcome for our clients. Our only goal is helping ensure our clients get the charges against them dismissed, or reduced. We help you avoid a criminal record, and help avoid charges from impacting your future.

24/7 Legal Help

We believe that the criminal attorney you hire should never take a break. You need a criminal attorney whose available 24/7 to help you. We always have lawyers available to help you. We offer flat fee arrangements, in addition to accepting payment plans, and major credit cards. Regardless of when, or what, the crime is, we will ensure one of our attorneys is available to help you. We encourage you to get a risk free consultation, over the phone, or in person.

Flexible Payment Plans

Spodek Law Group charges lower fees than most other defense law firms. In addition, we offer flexible payment plans, which makes it easier for you to afford our services. We believe that money should never get in the way of hiring the criminal attorney you want or deserve. Regardless of what you’re accused of doing, we can help you – at an affordable rate.

Over 50 Years of Experience

Spodek Law Group has over 50 years of experience helping clients with their legal needs. Our attorneys are some of the most top rated in the state of New York, and have experience handling all major federal, national, and local, crimes. Our experience ranges from handling white collar cases, to DUI/DWI, and even simple misdemeanors.

Our Philosophy and Who We Are

Our firm is super selective about the number, and type, of clients we agree to help. What’s important to us is that we believe we can help you get a better result. If we don’t think we can help you, we won’t take you on as a client. It’s how we can ensure each client gets the same level of success and results. It’s one of the main reasons why people refer us to their friends and family members

Risk Free Consultation

Our lawyers offer a risk free consultation – regardless of the type of crime, or when it happened. We can do this in person, or over the phone. We can answer any, and all, questions you have – in order to help you understand we can help you. We’ll discuss things like the type of punishments possible, the type of results we’ve gotten in the past, and how the case will progress. Once you take advantage of this risk free consultation, it’ll become clear to you why we’re the best choice. We can even meet you at your place of business, or your home. Once you sign up with us, we assign a dedicated attorney to your case

Aggressive and Unyielding Our lawyers are super aggressive, and creative. We understand how to use the rules against the prosecutor, and get great results.

Top Notch Litigators Our lawyers have been recognized and awarded by lawyer ranking services like Avvo, National Trial Lawyers Organization, SUPER Lawyers, and many others.

We’re Dedicated To You Our lawyers are passionate about one thing: helping our clients get the best outcome. We don’t focus on billable hours – like other firms. We only care about providing the best possible solution.

We’re your ally. We’re your guiding hand. You can trust our lawyers to tell you what to do. We understand you’re relying on us to tell you how your criminal accusation will impact your future. When you work with us, we’ll tell you exactly what to expect, and what to do.

Miracle workers!

Todd and his team are miracle workers of the highest. I was having financial issues, but still they helped me and made sure I got the best legal help.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change lawyers if I’m unhappy with the one representing me?

If you aren’t satisfied with your lawyer, then you may be able to get a new one, although it will depend on a couple key factors.

The first is whether you hired the lawyer yourself or you have a court-appointed attorney. If you hired your lawyer, then you’re in luck. You can fire your lawyer whenever you want and get a new one. That’s your right, although you do need to pay your lawyer for services provided up to that point, according to your fee schedule with them. Note that depending on your state, a lawyer you fire may be able to hang on to your file until you’ve paid their fee in full.

The opposite is true if you have a public defender. In this case, you must ask the judge for a new lawyer, and judges typically don’t grant these requests. The reality is that defendants and public defenders disagree about case strategies all the time, which means that this isn’t grounds for removing the public defender. When you’re not paying for a lawyer, you have far less control and you essentially end up with whoever the court gives you.

There are a select few situations where a judge will grant a request to change lawyers. If a public defender demonstrates incompetence, then a judge will likely allow for a replacement. However, this situation rarely occurs. Even if a public defender isn’t as skilled as another lawyer would be, it’s very uncommon for one to demonstrate incompetence.

A more common situation in which a judge may grant a replacement lawyer request is if there’s a severe clash between the defendant and the public defender. If the defendant and the public defender don’t get along to the point that a professional relationship is out of the question, then that means that the lawyer can’t provide the best defense possible for the client, and a judge will assign a new public defender to the case.

Although you have the right to get rid of a lawyer you hired, the prosecutor has the right to keep cases going on a reasonable schedule. Prosecutors try to avoid delays, which can lead to witnesses who are no longer available and other issues. If the lawsuit has been filed, you will most likely need to get the permission of the court before you can change lawyers, because a change in lawyers usually delays the trial. You’re unlikely to find a lawyer who agrees to represent you at the last minute without proper time to prepare.

The closer your request is to your trial, the more scrutiny there will be from the court. In these situations, you’ll need to demonstrate good cause regarding why you want to change lawyers. If you can do that, the court should grant your request. If there isn’t a valid reason for you to change lawyers, then the court will likely require that you stick with your original lawyer to keep the trial on track.

Do I need a lawyer at my arraignment?

When you find yourself charged with a crime, you may wonder what your best options are for securing an attorney. You may wonder if you need to get an attorney before arraignment, or if you can wait until after your arraignment in order to secure counsel. In the vast majority of cases, it’s important to have a lawyer at your arraignment.

What happens at the arraignment?

An arraignment is your first appearance in front of the judge. It’s the time that you formally learn the charges against you. It’s when the judge sets an amount for bond and determines the conditions for bond. You also enter a plea.

Your plea

At the arraignment, you have the option to plead guilty or not guilty. You may also stand mute. In the vast majority of cases, you should plead not guilty.

In some cases, you may receive a plea offer that’s valid at your arraignment. It’s important to work with your attorney in order to determine if this is a good choice for you. In addition, it’s critical to work with an attorney at the arraignment, because you want to be careful to avoid any admissions that the state’s attorney may use against you.

Bond amount

At the arraignment, the court sets an amount of bond. An attorney can help you argue for an appropriate amount that allows you to post bond and secure your release until future proceedings. Your attorney’s skill and experience can help fashion the appropriate arguments. Common considerations are your criminal history, employment and ties to the community.

Bond conditions

Conditions of bond are equally important. These are the things that you have to do in order to remain free while you’re out on bond. Usually, these conditions require you to refrain from violating the law, contacting a victim or even avoid using alcohol and illegal substances.

You may have special considerations that an attorney can help you with as you evaluate potential bond conditions. You may need a provision that allows you to work in a place that serves alcohol. It might be appropriate to monitor alcohol testing to allow you to get to work on time. You may need a special consideration for out of state travel.

Questions with the charging documents

An attorney is important to have at arraignment because they can help you evaluate the charging documents. Cosmetic errors aren’t fatal to a complaint, but if there are substantive errors, the entire complaint may be invalid. A law enforcement officer must swear to a complaint, so if there are mistakes, the case may be dismissed with the state having the option to refile with changes.

Creating a lasting impression

An arraignment is your first chance to make an impression on the judge. This is the judge that might oversee your trial or even decide your guilt or innocence. If you’re convicted, this is the person that determines your sentence.

It’s important to make a good first impression at your arraignment. You don’t want to be hostile or argumentative. An attorney can help you tactfully advance your position in a way that leaves a positive impression on the court.

Should I represent myself in a criminal case?

It is never a good decision to represent yourself in a criminal case unless the state has a very solid case that is practically defenseless. A charge for driving under the influence is good example of how prosecutors can be very restricted in their authority to offer a charge reduction or a diversion. Legislators in all states have set mandatory jail terms and increased minimum fines to the point that the charges are difficult to defend. However, charges that are filed on borderline evidence are regularly applied as though the state has a right to a conviction merely because of the charge. These are the cases when the defendant should always retain an experienced criminal defense attorney because prosecutors rarely deal reasonably with a defendant when making a plea bargain. An attorney can fare much better and may be effective in casting considerable doubt on the validity of the charge. In addition, technicalities can matter greatly even when the state appears to have a strong case if there have been any violations of arrest protocol or illegal search seizure. The 4th and 5th Amendments still matter, but it often takes an attorney to invoke your rights successfully.

What an attorney can do

Once you have retained an attorney to handle your case, the attorney can then conduct an investigation into the articles of evidence and evaluate them for legal acquisition and accuracy, including officer testimony. Your attorney can question the officer during the investigation and still conduct cross-examination when the prosecution calls them to the stand to testify. Officer statements can get embellished in the court proceeding, and your criminal defense attorney can pinpoint any discrepancies. All physical evidence must be seized according constitutional requirements and a criminal defense attorney can motion to suppress certain evidence that has been illegally confiscated. In addition, your attorney can also opt to take a case to trial, which is no undertaking for a novice defendant. It is important in defending a borderline evidence case to have an experienced trial attorney who understands how to communicate with the jury, including the during the selection process.

Sometimes you cannot represent yourself

All defendants should understand that charges potentially carrying a jail sentence will always require professional legal representation as required by the Supreme Court. Even in a DUI case, the state may decide to appoint a public defender to serve as the defendant’s legal counsel. Having a public defender rarely bodes well for the defendant, as many times the public defender is working for the same state that is doing the prosecuting. Their priorities may be with their own employment. Having a personal attorney who provides diligent representation and is focused on defending your rights can make a major difference in the final outcome.

Defending against criminal charges is a very serious situation for anyone because a conviction has a way changing a life for years to come, and attempting to represent yourself can make things worse. Retaining an aggressive criminal defense lawyer is easily as much an investment in your future as it is an investment in your freedom.

How can I find a private defense lawyer?

The lawyer you might be looking for may not be the same person who helped buy a house, who handled your will, or whom your uncle used when he was involved in a car accident. All these are civil lawyers. For your case, you are looking for someone with great specialties in the criminal law. However, you may have a choice to get someone who has specialized in both areas.

Civil vs. Criminal Lawyers The private criminal defense attorneys tend to practice in small partnerships on their own in a small geographic area. On the contrary, lawyers handling civil cases congregate in large firms with many offices in numerous cities. While personality differences between criminal and civil lawyers account for this variation, the main difference is the nature of work. • Big-firm civil lawyers represent companies who have business in many parts of the country. Criminal defense attorneys represent defendants whose problems are local. • Companies represented by many big-firm civil attorneys are often contacted for continual legal representation and advice. Individual criminal defendants tend to act many roles and specialties on many legal needs that are often nonrecurring.

The private defense lawyer has many years of experience working for the country before working as a private legal practitioner as a public defender or as a prosecutor.

The Local Advantage A defendant i advised to hire the services of a lawyer with enough legal experience in the courthouses when the case of the defendant is pending. Though the same laws may be effected all over the state, procedures can vary from one court to another. For instance, certain offenses can have a no-plea policy for bargaining with a D.A in another county. On the other hand, such policy is not effected in the nearby county. Defenders should prefer lawyers who have experience with the local personnel and procedures.

Experience with the Charged Crime A defendant should get the services of a lawyer who has represented defendants facing similar charges in court. The modern criminal law is so complex that many attorneys specialize in some aspects. For instance, one attorney can specialize in white collar crimes, and another specializing in embezzlement and tax cases.

It is, therefore, appropriate for the defendant to inquire about the the lawyer’s experience during the initial consultation session. Never hire an attorney who refuses to speak about his specialty and experience or the one who gives unrevealing or vague answers.

Personal Factor A defendant’s attorney should always speak for the defendant. It doesn’t matter how the attorney can be recommended. The most important thing to do is to be comfortable with the attorney. The best lawyer-client relationships are those where the clients partner fully with the attorney to make decisions. Defendants should choose the lawyers who work as partners and not as case files.

As yourself the following questions when hiring an attorney: • Does the lawyer’s concern point to your situation? • Does the lawyer’s concern show personal or genuine desire? • Does the attorney seem to be ready to work? • Does the lawyer explain things in a manner that makes you understand?

Are lawyers available for defendants who can’t afford to pay for one?

The short answer to this question is yes, but having an attorney appointed is not always as easy as requesting an assignment. Courts often evaluate the defendant’s income and financial resources in determining if they can afford an attorney, and many times the defendant is required to pay a “reasonable” fee for services rendered. The question always comes down to what is reasonable, which is the most overused word in the legal vocabulary. Financial obligations are rarely a component of the court decision concerning assigning a public defender, so there can surely be some extenuating circumstances that does not interest the court. However, it rarely bodes well for a defendant when a public advocate is assigned who actually works for the state because their priorities may be focused on their employment instead of the client’s best interest.

Why you need an attorney

The United States Supreme Court ruled in the mid 1960s that any defendant who is potentially facing jail time is required to have adequate and effective representation who is supposed to ensure observance of all legal rights of the defendant. The problem is that public defenders are rarely aggressive when it comes time to evaluate the articles of evidence for admissibility and proper search and seizure protocol. They often are essentially representatives of the prosecutor’s office, as they work with the prosecutors on a daily basis if the state has an established public defender system. Retained personal attorneys are focused on results for their client instead of results for the state, especially regarding a case dismissal or acquittal, as public defenders rarely are willing to take a case to trial. The consensus within the court house is often that the state is entitled to a conviction merely because the defendant was charged, including the opinion of the public defender. If it is a requirement to have counsel, then it is always important to have aggressive counsel because the court protocol is often a stacked deck in favor of the prosecution.

What a paid attorney can do

The first thing a personal attorney will do is conduct a separate investigation of all events that led to charges, with each article of evidence being evaluated individually. Public defenders rarely motion the court for evidence suppression, but this is one of the primary functions of a truly professional criminal defense attorney. Even when the state has a good case, evidence can be dismissed and not allowed for consideration in determining guilt. Defendants are still guilty until proven innocent, even though the system does not always appear that way. A personal criminal defense attorney can also move to take a case to trial, which prosecutors usually do not want. All they want is a conviction to pad their record. Your paid criminal defense attorney will work diligently using all avenues to ensure you legal rights are enforced to the fullest extent of the law.

It is important to remember that hiring an aggressive criminal defense attorney is not only an investment in your personal freedom, but is also an investment in your future. The defendant always fares better when they have retained counsel focused on lessening punishment or a case dismissal instead of negotiating a plea bargain.

I don’t qualify for legal aid, but can’t afford a lawyer

The reality is you don’t have to be poor to not be able to afford an attorney. Hourly rates for service usually run into several hundred dollars per hour, and while common procedures like divorce or bankruptcy are often performed at a flat rate, expect to have to come up with a thousand or more dollars just to get started. Many people find themselves in the unfortunate position of making too much money to qualify for legal aid but not enough to afford full price. What do you do then? Consider some of the creative and lower cost options below.

Criminal Proceedings

You might not realize it, but if you are charged with a crime the court will appoint a attorney for your defense even if you can’t afford it. It has been a longheld philosophy of the American (and other) judicial systems that a person should not be found guilty of a crime without competent legal representation. You don’t even have to ask for it. The judge is sure to offer. Unless you’re a secret law genius, it would be a good idea to accept. For legal proceedings that aren’t criminal in nature – such as the aforementioned divorce, bankruptcy, or if you want to sue someone – you’re going to need to get creative in finding legal help on a budget.

Law School

The nearest law school might be an excellent place to locate a third-year student and pick his or her brain about the topic at hand. With most schools, a law student is able to give advice under the direction of a qualified faculty member who currently practices. By the time a student reaches their third year, they have a lot of knowledge already packed into their heads and, in many cases, would be more than willing to help someone out and gain real world experience at the same time. While they can’t accompany you to court and speak for you, the advice you receive could be invaluable about which direction to take.

Small Claims

Small claims is available in all states, and is meant to serve as a forum to resolve lower level disputes between people without the necessity of an attorney getting involved. The drawback is that the value of the amount in question is capped at different levels depending on the state you live in. Some states let you utilize the small claims process for anything up to $15,000 (greetings, Delaware). The bad news is some cap the limit as $1,500 (Hello, Arkansas).. The playing field is level in small claims because lawyers are not allowed to officially participate. If you arm yourself with good legal advice from a law student and can present yourself reasonably well in front of the judge, you have a good chance of prevailing.

Pro Bono Jackpot

As a professional responsibility, all practicing attorneys are required to provide a certain number of pro bono hours to clients each year. That means free. As you might imagine, this kind of representation is in high demand. Try contacting your county or state bar association and ask for any current programs that offer pro bono or reduced-fee legal advice and representation. You never know what might available until you ask. How eager the bar is to help you out with this varies from state to state, but it is a real thing.

The Bottom Line

Don’t be afraid to shop around for legal services. We do it for everything else. Most lawyers offer an initial free consultation. Take advantage of it! Not all of them will price everything equally. There is also the chance they will cap fees at a certain level or even accept a payment plan. You won’t know unless you ask. Good luck out there.